Sectional service-board.



N. JOLEEN.

SEOTIONAL SERVICE BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED 001.311.1911.

19939, 1 39 Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

2 SHEETS-8111531 1.

N, JOLEEN.

SEGTIONAL SERVICE BOARD.

APPLICATION FILED 001. so, 1911.

1&39, 1 391 Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

My e//ljse7J/eezz 1 (01 9g @oda NELS JOLEEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SECTION AL SERVICE-BOARD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 24, 1912.

Application filed October 30, 1911. Serial No. 657,464.

. fication.

My invention relates to sectional service boards for electric distribution.

In a co-pending application filed August 25, 1911, Serial Number 645,984 I have shown aservice board intended for a similar purpose. In the form there shown, however, the board forms a unitary piece of ap paratus, the insulating panel and its closure forming a single structure. In certain cases, however, it is a'disadvantage to have the entire structure a unitary one, for example, the building owner may expect the power company to furnish the apparatus free of cost on the theory that it is necessary to the delivery of the current. Under such circumstances the expense of the apparatus becomes an importantitem and it becomes desirable also to differentiate between the parts which the central station may be properly called upon to furnish and .the parts which the building owner should furnish.

The object of my present invention, therefore, is to provide a sectional construction; first, with the purpose of differentiating between theparts which are essential to the delivery of the current and the parts properly belonging to the distribution sys properly tem. of the building and, therefore, chargeable to the building owner; .and second, to render the apparatus flexible or expansible so that. sections may be added to the apparatus and become a part thereof, as the requirements oft-he building increase. These characteristics I have retained without sacrificing the general characteristic described in my previous application, to-wit, the prevention of anyone but a representative of the power company connecting up the house conductors with the main supply conductors belonging to the company.

. I accomplish my objects by the; construction illustrated in the accompanying draw;-'

ings, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a board embodying my inventiQn. In this view two supplemental sections are shown in position upon the base section. Fig. 2 is a vertia cal section taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 1. Fig. Sis a perspective view of the"appara;

tus. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the front door of one of the supplemental sections. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional detail illustrating a suitable method of sealing the doors, andFig. 6 is a perspective view of the plate which forms a closure for the top of the various sections of the apparatus.

The base section consists of a panel 1 inclosed in a cabinet comprising side walls 2 and 3, a bottom 4, a top 5 and a back wall 6. These walls are preferably of sheet metal and the panel, which consists of marble, slate or other insulating material, is secured to the back wall in any suitable manner. The base section is provided with lugs 7 or other suitable means for fastening it to the wall or other support and is provided with a front door 8 shown in the present design to. be hinged to the cabinet and provided with a knob or handle 9.

In the form of apparatus illustrated there are three main service conductors 10, 11 and 12 leading from the supply mains of the power company. These conductors terminate in lugs 13 to which are fastened fuses 14 which connect them to the terminal blocks 15 which support the switch blades 16. Said blades are operated by a cross bar 17 having a handle 18. When the switch is closed the blades make electric contact with the bus bars 195 all of these last mentioned parts being suitably mounted upon the panel 1. The number of main conductors and switch connections is immaterial, the ideabeing that the base section of the apparatus contains bus bars, the end of the main i service-conductors and the switch for making and breaking connection between them.

The top 5 of the base section has an aperture 20 which is preferably rectangular in shape and of the same configuration and location as the aperture in the top of the top section, shown in Fig. This aperture is located opposite the ends of the bars 19. Near it onthe inside of the top are located threaded studs 21. A plate 22, shown in perspective in Fig. 6, is slightly larger, than the aperture 20 and has holes 23 at the ends for receiving'the studs 21. The plate may be held imposition to close the aperture 20 by means of wing nuts 24 llke the ones illustrated at various points in the drawings. It Willbe noted that as the studs .21 projectinwardly, when the plateis fastened in place it cannot beremoved from the,o tlits i dc of the cabinet frontdoor is locked. In other words, access cannot be had through the top to-remove the plate when the latter is in place.

In the preferred construction, the top 5 projects beyond the side walls 2, 3, 6 forming a flange adapted to be engaged by the channels 25 formed at the lateral bottom edges of the superposed supplemental section. The first supplemental section a is in many respects similar to the base section just described. It constitutes a cabinet open at the front and supporting upon its back wall an insulating panel 30. Upon this are mounted bus bars 31 which are adapted to come into alinement with the base section when the plates are assembled. Panel 80 is provided with a number of terminal blocks 33 arranged in the present case along the lateral edges of the, panel and connected to the cross bars 34 by fuses 35. The bus bars and cross bars are connected by bolts 36. The supplemental section,- instead of having imperforate sides like the base section, is provided preferably with apertures 40 closed by plates 41 in a manner analogous to the closing of the section tops by the plate 22. Said plates 41 may be imperforate but ordinarily will be provided with screw sockets 45 for receiving the ends of the conduits 46 which lead out laterally, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The conduits are usually iron pipes leading to the various parts of the building and contain cables 47 which are electrically connected to the blocks 33. Plates 41 are held in positionby threaded studs 43 located inside of the side walls near the apertures 40, the

studs being furnished with wing nuts 24.

As the plates 41 are removable they are intel-changeable with either imperforate plates or with plates in which the screw sockets are of a smaller or larger diameter, thus accommodating diiferentsizes of conduits. Of course the number of screw sockets in a plate may be varied to correspond to the variations in the number of cross bars.

In order to hold the supplemental section flush with the base section when in engagement therewith a limiting stop is provided, the preferred form being best shown in Fig. 2, wherein it will be observed'that the back 1 is projected upward a slight distance beyond the top of the base section at the point 6*. This engages the back of the supplemental section and prevents the latter from being pushed too far. Above the first supplemental section is a second one I) precisely like it, except that it may have a greater or smaller number of cross bars 50 which correspond with the cross bars 34. The supplemental sections are also provided with extensions 6 on the back wall which serve as stops for limiting the backward sliding of the section above. The supplemental sections are apertured at the service conductors 10, 11, 12.

top and the aperture is closed by a plate 22 in the manner corresponding to the same parts of the base section. The supplemental sections are also provided with lugs 7 for securing them to the building wallor partition. By thus making all the supplemental sections of uniform construction, except possibly as to capacity, which affects merely the vertical dimension, supplemental units may be kept in stock and added to the apparatus whenever desired.

The preferred manner of closing the front of the supplemental sections is illustrated more especially in Figs. 2, 4 and 5 of the drawings. For simplicity, the front door, instead of being hinged, is a plate 60 provided near the bottom with an internal flange 61'adapted to fit over and engage the upturned flange 62 formed at the front opening of the supplemental sections. Near the upper edge, plate 60 has an aperture 63 (see Fig. 4) which receives a stud 64 passing forward from the flange 65 formed at the upper edge of the supplemental sections. When the front door is dropped into place a wing nut 24 is applied and aseal 66 of any suitable kind applied, as shown in detail in Fig. 5. The section cannot then be opened up nor access gained to the inside thereof without detection.

To illustrate the manner of the use of the apparatus, let it be assumed that it is to beinstalled in a new building which is to conlain a number of different tenants, all of whom will have separate service and presumably separate meters. When the building is ready to receive it, the base section 1 placed in position by the power company and electrical connection is made between the main switch 16, 17, 19 and the main The power :zompanys representative before he leaves closes the top of the base section by fasten- ;ng the cover plate 22 in position. He then closes the front door 8 and seals the same, for example, by passing a seal 66 through the apertured end of the stud 64 mounted 4 upon the front of the base section and held closed by a wing nut 24, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The bus bars in the base section are now alive but no access can be had to themwith out detection. Vt hen the building is ready, for the tenants the electricians employed by the tenants or by the owner of the building slip one or more supplemental sections into position upon the closed base section and proceed to install the house conductors and the conduits which inclose them. The number of supplemental sections employed will depend upon the number of circuits in the building, and if the building is not full at the start,'the supplemental sections may be added one by one, as required, the system being thus expansible or flexible.- Of course it is immaterial how much of the final. connection to the main service con-.

ductors. Furthermore, the supplemental sections being adapted to be installed independently of the main service conductors will presumably be furnished by the owner of the building and he will furnish only such number of supplemental sections as will meet his temporary requirements. \Vhen all is in readiness the power company is notified and sends a representative, who breaks the seal of the base section, and after opening the front door removes the closure plate 21. All he has then to do to render the house conductors alive is to connect the bus bar section by connecting links 70, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. These bus bars are merely strips of copper similar to the bus bars 6 and connected by ordinary screws or studs. The entire installation is then completed, whereupon the power companys representative places the closure plate taken from the base section, at the top of the topmost sup-v plemental section and seals the doorsof all of the sections, as a result of which the entire apparatus is closed and cannot again be entered without detection. r

It will thus be seen that as a resultof my invention the advantageous features hereinabove pointed out are obtained. The power company can be reasonably expected only to furnish the base section, which is all that is necessary to form a housing for the ends of all of the main conductors and the main control switch by which the connection to the house s 'stem may be established and broken. The building owner will presumably furnish the supplemental sections and he will furnish them at his own leisure and to the number which he may requiref Furthermore, the tenants cannot obtain power without opening the doors and breaking the seals or else tampering with the conduits which are screwed into the tubular lugs and hence are practically nonremovable.

It sometimes happens that there is insuflicient head room for adding the required number oi supplemental sections one above another. It is partly for this reason that I have mounted the side plates 41 in the supplemental section in a manner permitting them to be removed at will. By thus making them removable units may be added at the side as well as the top, thus making the system expansible laterally as well as vertically.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1.- A sectional lock cabinet of the class described comprising a base section containing main supply terminals andhaving an aperture in the top for the passage of connecl or bars, a removable plate adapted to close said aperture, said plate being inaccessible from a point outside said base, a supplemental section having an aperture in the bottom registering with the aperture in the top of the base section, and interlocking connections on said sections adapted to permit the sections to be brought nite and out of interlocked engagement while the plate remains in situ. I

2. A sectional lock cabinet for electric service comprising a base' section having main supply terminals inclosed thereln, said base section having walls on all six faces with a locking door in front whereby the contents may be protected, and said section having an aperture in the top. for the passage of connector bars, a removable plate for closing said aperture, said plate being inaccessible from a point outside the cabinet, a supplemental sect-ion having an aperture in the bottom registering with the aperture in the top of the base section, and horizontal interlocking flanges at the proximate ends of said sections whereby the supplemental section may be slid into interlocked engagement with the base section while said plate remains in place.

3. A sectional lock cabinet for electric service comprising a base section having main supply terminals inclosed therein. said base section having walls on all six faces with a locking door in front whereby the contents may be protected and said section having an aperture in the top for the passage of connector bars, a removable plate for closing said aperture, said plate being inaccessible from a point outside the cabnet, a supplemental section having an aperture in the bottom registering with the aperture in the top of the base swtion, horizontal interlocking flanges at the proximate ends of said sections whereby the supplemental section may be slid horizontally backward along the top of the base section into interlocked engagement with said base section without disturbing said plate nor preventing its removal, and a stop at the back of the base section for directing the backward movement of the supplemental section for the purpose of bringing the fronts of said sections flush with each other.

NELS JOLEEN.

Witnesses:

Howxnn M. Cox,

MARGARET D. Rona. 

